Tool and method for making ribbon decorations



TOOL AND METHOD FOR MAKING RIBBON DECORATIONS Filed April 25, 1964 W. W.KNOX July 13, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. WILLIAM W. KNOX A if (9N2?J y 3, 1965 w. w. KNOX 3,194,459

TOOL AND METHOD FOR MAKING RIBBON DECORATIONS Filed April 23, 1964 2Sheets-Sheet 2 42 FIG. 5

IO l2 34 23 V 20% "IP33 2 22 fi I /I/IIIlI\I I 4 6 l 34 55 5 ISINVENTOR. WILLIAM W.. KNOX United States Patent 3,194,459 TOOL ANDMETHOD FOR MAKING RIBBON DECORATIONS William W. Knox, Mentor on theLake, Ohio, assignor to Mag-Nit, Inc., Painesville, Ohio, a corporationof Ohio Filed Apr. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 362,001 Claims. (Cl. 22346) Thisinvention relates to a tool and method for arrangdecorative ribbonmaterial and more particularly to the art of making ornamental bowformations.

Professional looking bows for embellishing gift wrappings, tabledecorations, styrene plastic foam shapes, party favors or the like aregenerally made on automatic bow making machines wherein the operatorturns a crank and a roll of colored ribbon material is fed to a rotatingcollet which forms evenly spaced bow loops of a given size. Suchmachines are relatively expensive and do not find wide acceptance in thehome where their infrequent use would normally not justify the initialinvestment. However, domestic use of colored ribbon bows in largequantities as a decorative item is increasingly popular on specialoccasions, for example, green bows arranged on a white Styrofoam cone toresemble a Christmas tree.

It is a purpose of this invention to provide an inexpensive tool for usein the home, or elsewhere not having an automatic bow making machineavailable, which does not require special talents to operate but willenable the user to make ribbon decorations of consistent high qualitychallenging that of professionally made arrangements.

In accordance with the invention a tool is provided for use in makingloops of a decorative ribbon material and arranging them into a bowformation and then ejecting the completed bow from the tool as a unit,such tool comprising a spindle having a rotatable work surface; a bowretention device releasably carried by the work surface adapted to graspsuccessive loops formed from the ribbon material as the bow formation isdeveloped; and ejection means for releasing the bow retention devicewhich includes an actuating surface, the spindle work surface andactuating surface being movable relative to each other to operate theejection means whereby the bow and bow retention device are ejected as aunit from the tool.

It is also a purpose of the invention to prescribe a method by which theinvention may be practiced that employs novel steps which will allowrelatively unskilled persons to turn out high quality bows or the likeof substantially duplicate size, shape and appearance thereby enhancingthe eye appealing function of such decorations.

Thus, in accordance with the invention a method of making decorativeribbon formations is disclosed wherein decorative ribbon material isattached to a rotatable work surface; the work surface is rotated byincrements using successive measured lengths of the standing portion ofthe ribbon material having sufficient stiffness to impart a torsionalforce to the work surface in the process of developing loops therein;and sequentially attaching the loops thus formed to the work surfaceupon each increment of rotation whereby evenly formed loops are layedout in an ornamental ribbon decoration.

Accordingly, the main object of the invention is to provide a device andmethod wherein persons not particularly gifted in the art of makingribbon decorations will be able to make professional looking displays ofesthetic quality varying only according to the creative ability of theuser.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool for use in makingribbon decorations which cooperates in a novel way with the ribbonmaterial which functions like a handle in operating the tool.

A more specific object is to provide a tool having a Patented July 13,1965 rotatable spindle which is also reciprocative relative to anactuating surface whereby a function of the tool is to eject a completedribbon formation which will retain its shape without aid of tape oradhesives.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method for use in makingribbon decorations in which the operator manually forms loops of anydesired shape or size in the standing portion of a ribbon materialattaching them successively to a rotatable work surface which cooperatesin forming the loops and spacing them evenly in the ribbon decoration byrotating in increments as determined by the operator in feeding theribbon.

These and other objects will appear more clearly by reference to thefollowing description and drawings showing the preferred embodiments ofthe invention wherein;

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the inventive tool.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the tool showing the bow pin storagecompartments therein;

FIGURE 3 shows the operator preparing the tool to accept a bow pin;

FIGURE 4 is a partial, enlarged view of the tool work surface with a bowpin inserted thereon;

FIGURE 5 is a view taken along line 5-5 of FIGURE 4 showing the tool inthe work position;

FIGURE 6 shows the operator holding the standing portion of the ribbonpreparing to rotate the work surface of the tool;

FIGURE 7 shows the operator rotating the work surface as prescribed bythe inventive method; and

FIGURE 8 shows the operator ejecting a bow pin which would normallycarry with it a finished bow.

Referring to the drawings it is seen that the tool 10 basicallycomprises a base member 11 having a central spindle 12. The spindle isprovided with an upper work surface 14 adapted to carry a bow pin towhich a free end of a roll of ribbon material is attached. The roll ofribbon may be carried on a spool in a dispenser or merely layed outadjacent the tool with sufficient ribbon played out from the roll in theform of a standing portion having an approximate length required to makethe desired ribbon formation. As will appear hereinafter, the standingportion of the ribbon is fed to the tool as loops are developed of agiven size and shape therein as assisted by the tool. The completed bowis held intact on the work surface by the pin until the user removes itin a novel fashion to be described.

As shown in FIGURES 1-5 in more detail, the tool 10 comprises a base 11of generally clover leaf shape having a bottom wall 16 joined by aclosed side wall 18 providing radially extending hollow leg portions 20.In the center of the base, a column 22 is formed having a reduceddiameter portion 23 through which projects an aligned verticallyextending shaft 24. A cover 26 of the same general outline as the base11 closes the hollow leg portions 20 forming a plurality of compartmentstherein. A bead 28 on the reduced diameter portion 23 is formed slightlylarger than an opening 32 in the cover and prevents vertical movement ofit relative to the column. The cover may be rotated manually on theshoulder 33 provided by the larger diameter portion of the column 22thereby exposing the compartments in the legs 20 which as shown inFIGURE 2 for example, function as storage compartments for bow pins 34.

The fixed shaft 24 may be the same material as the column 2.2 and beintegrally formed therewith, but is shown here is a rigid quill memberpressed into a bore 30 in the reduced diameter portion 23 of the column.An upper bead 35 formed on the portion 23 cooperates with the spindle 12in a manner to be described.

The spindle 12 is formed with a bottom flange 37 and has a bore 38loosely sleeved over the reduced diameter portion 23 of the column. Ahead 40 near the lower end of the bore 38 engages the outer walls of theportion 23 and is spaced vertically with respect to the bead 35 to allowa given amount of reciprocal movement of the spindle with respect to thecolumn 22. The bead spacing is an important feature with respect to theoperation of the tool as will appear hereinafter. The spindle 12includes the upper work surface 14 having a depending guide sleeve 42rotatably received over the shaft. The guide sleeve opens into the worksurface at a central opening 45. The end of the shaft 24 projectsthrough the opening 45 and above the work surface as shown in FIGURE 1when the spindle is in the idle position. The portion of the shaft 24which projects above the work surface has a length approximately equalto the vertical spacing between the beads 35 and 40 when in the idleposition as shown in FIGURE 1 whereby when the spindle is raised, asshown in FIGURE 3, the bead will abut one another and the top surface 47of the shaft, hereinafter referred to as the actuating surface, will belowered within the guide sleeve 42 to a point at least level with thetop of the work surface 14. Formed in tegrally with the spindle worksurface are a plurality of flexible fingers 48 which are equally spacedabout substantially two thirds of the periphery of the work surfaceleaving a gap 50 for entry of a bow pin as shown in FIGURE 3.

The bow pin has a fiat bottomed base 52 and an upstanding shank portion54 provided with a pointed or barbed end 55. The base 52 has a diameterapproximately equal to the spacing or gap 50 providing entry to the worksurface 14. As best seen in FIGURE 4, the flexible fingers 48 extendupwardly and inwardly from the work surface 14 and overlie the edge ofthe base 52 of the bow pin when inserted.

In operation the spindle 12 is raised until the beads 35 and 40 abut oneanother whereupon the actuating surface 47 of the shaft will be slightlybelow the level of the work surface 14. Held in this position as shownin FIGURE 3, the spindle is in the active or work position and a bow pincan be inserted through the opening 50 positioning the base 52 centrallyover the actuating surface 47 of the shaft. After being released by theoperator, the spindle is held in the active position with the actuatingsurface 47 bearing against the bottom of the pin. The flexible fingers48 overlie the base of the pin preventing downward movement of thespindle. In this position, the shaft 24 supports the spindle and bow pinon the actuating surface which serves as a bearing for the spindle, thelower end of the spindle being guided by the beads 35 and 40. In thework position, the spindle is freely rotatable since a minimum offriction is encountered between the near point bearing provided by theactuating surface and the near line contact between the beads and thecolumn portion. A substantially frictionless rotation of the spindle isan important aspect of the invention as will be seen and if desired theactuating surface may be pointed to further reduce friction. The 'bowpin projects upwardly from the work surface such that the barbed orpointed end is exposed and the tool is now ready to begin making a how.

The style of bow or ribbon formation to be made may vary widely with theindividual creative ability of the user, but for purposes ofdescription, the method of making a star bow will be described. However,the method employed will basically be the same for whatever style 'bowis desired. Selecting a ribbon material is largely up to individualtaste, but for illustration only it will be assumed that a three quarterinch wide ribbon is chosen of the general commercial satin variety inwhich the fabric strands run parallel to each other and are backed by anacetate or lacquer coating so that the ribbon has two sides, one beingglossy and the other dull or satin finish.

In making the star bow, a loop is first formed in the free end of theribbon material 60 resembling a shirt collar, generally indicated by thenumeral 62 as shown in FIGURE 6, with the glossy side of the ribbon upsuch that the how will be formed upside down. Keeping the same side ofthe ribbon up, a second loop is developed in the standing portion 64 ofthe ribbon by taking a measured length thereof, say about five inchesfrom the pin, and pushing in the general direction of the pin as shownin the FIGURE 7. In the process of developing the second loop, atorsional force will be imparted to the spindle causing it to rotate inthe direction of the arrow an increment of about two thirds of a turn.The partially formed loop is then attached to the bow pin at an angle ofabout degrees to the first loop by puncturing the ribbon with the barbedend 55 of the pin leaving the standing portion of the ribbon in theoperators hand ready to form a third loop. Thus, the standing portion ofthe ribbon serves as a sort of handle for turning the spindle sincethere is negligible frictional resistance with the spindle in the workor active position and the relatively short measured lengths of ribbonwill therefore have sufiicient stiffness to impart a slight torsionalforce to the spindle as it is pushed toward the pin. Since the free endof the bow is always held by the pin, the operators other hand is freeto hold the tool and adjust the loops of the bow as it is formed. Afterattaching a dozen or so loops to the pin, the bow begins to reach thedesired size and the standing portion of the ribbon is cut from the bow.

The completed bow, held together by the bow pin, is ejected from thetool as a unit by depressing the spindle. As depicted in FIGURE 8, thismovement forces the actuating surface 47 against the bottom of the bowpin with sufficient force to flex the fingers 48 upwardly and outwardlyuntil the base 52 clears the fingers in snaprelease fashion, the naturalresilience of the fingers returning them to their initial position readyto accept another pin. The pin thus serves as an expendable part of thetool as well as a bow retention means when detached. The bow beingformed upside down is turned over and the barbed end of the pin may beused .to attach the bow to a package or the like by pressing it into thewrapping.

The hollow legs 20 provide a convenient storage compartment for a numberof bow pins which can be removed therefrom by rotating the cover 26 togain access to the compartments. If desired, suction cups or the likemay be mounted on the bottom of legs to assist in holding the tool, butnormally this is not necessary since only slight pressure is used inoperating the tool. The entire tool may be formed with a minimum ofsimple, inexpensive, polypropylene or plastic parts which may be moldedand extruded in a well known manner.

Having now described the preferred embodiment of the invention, itshould be clear to those having ordinary skill in the art that variousmodifications may be made without actually deviating from the inventionas defined by the appended claims except insofar as their scope may belimited by the prior art.

I claim:

1. In a bow making device, the combination of a tool and a decorativeribbon material cooperating to form loops of a bow formation, said toolcomprising a rotatable work surface, fastener means thereon for holdinga free end of said ribbon material, means for rotatably mounting thework surface, and means for causing rotation thereof which meansincludes the standing portion of the ribbon material, a measured lengthof said portion being sufficiently stiff to exert a torsional force onthe work surface in the process of developing a loop therein wherebysuccessive loops of the bow formation are formed out of said ribbonmaterial by repeatedly engaging measured lengths thereof with thefastener means.

2. In a bow making device, the combination of a tool and a decorativeribbon material cooperating to form loops of a bow formation, said toolcomprsing a rotatable work surface, means for rotatably supporting thework surface, detachable pin means supported on the work surface forholding a free end of said ribbon material, means rotatable with thework surface for releasably holding the pin means, and force applyingmeans for causing rotation of the work surface which means includes thestanding portion of the ribbon material, a measured length of saidportion being sufficiently stiff to exert a torsional force on the worksurface in the process of developing a loop therein whereby successiveloops of the bow formation are formed out of said ribbon material byrepeatedly engaging measured lengths thereof with said pin means whichmeans serves to retain the bow formation when detached from the worksurface.

3. A tool for use in manually arranging a decorative ribbon materialcomprising a rotatable work surface, means rotatably supporting the worksurface, pin means removably attached to the work surface for holding afree end of said ribbon material, and force applying means for impartinga torsional force to the work surface causing rotation thereof whichmeans consists of a measured length of the ribbon material havingsufiicient stiffness to assist in rotating the work surface.

4. A tool for use in arranging loops of decorative ribbon material intoa bow formation and then ejecting the completed bow comprising arotatable spindle having a work surface, bow retention means carried onthe work surface including means for grasping successive loops formedfrom the ribbon material as the bow formation is developed, and ejectionmeans releasably securing said bow retention means including anactuating surface adjacent the work surface and flexible means carriedby the work surface releasably securing said bow retention means, saidwork and actuating surfaces being movable relative to each other toactuate said flexible means freeing the bow retention means whereby thecompleted bow and bow retention means are ejected as a unit from thetool.

5. A tool according to claim 4 wherein said bow retention means includesa flat base resting on the work surface and said actuating surface ismovcable through the work surface into engagement with the base, saidflexible means comprising a plurality of fingers carried by the worksurface and extending upwardly and inwardly into engagement with saidbase so that movement of the actuating surface with respect to the worksurface causes the base of the bow retention means to press upwardly onsaid fingers to flex them in snap-release fashion when ejecting thecompleted bow unit.

6. A tool for manually arranging decorative ribbon material comprising arotatable sleeve member adapted to be reciprocated between two positionsand providing an annular surface, a plurality of flexible fingersprojecting from said work surface, pin means receiving a free end of thedecorative ribbon material and having a flattened head portion centrallysecured by said fingers on the annular work surface when it is in one ofsaid positions, spindle means reciprocally and rotatably supporting thesleeve member between said two positions and having an actuating surfacethereon aligned and coplanar with said work surface in said oneposition, said actuating surface cooperating with the pin means headportion to provide a bearing for the sleeve member in said one positionand to flex said fingers thereby snap-releasing the pin means andcompleted ribbon decoration as a unit when the spindle members are movedto said other position.

7. A tool according to claim 6 wherein said spindle member and flexiblefingers are integrally formed of a plastic material.

8. A tool according to claim 6 in addition comprising leg means attachedto said spindle means providingsupport therefore, said leg means beinghollow and providing a storage compartment therein for a plurality ofsaid pin means.

9. A method for making a decorative ribbon formation comprising thesteps of attaching the free end of a decorative ribbon material to arotatable work surface, rotating the work surface by increments usingsuccessive measuredlengths of the standing portion of the ribbonmaterial having suflicient stiffness to impart a torsional force theretoin the process of developing loops therein, and sequentially attachingthe loops formed from the standing portion at each increment of rotationof the work surface.

10. A method for making a decorative ribbon formation comprising thesteps of attaching a decorative ribbon material to a rotatable worksurface having an active position and an idle position, rotating thework surface by increments while in its active position using successivemeasured lengths of the standing portion of the ribbon material havingsuflicient stiffness to impart a torsional force thereto in the processof forming loops therein, sequentially attaching the thus formed loopsat increments of rotation of the work surface, and ejecting thecompleted ribbon formation by moving the work surface to its idleposition.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,982,452 5/61Anderson 22346 ,044,670 7/62 Barefoot 22346 3,061,153 10/62 Rector 223463,129,861 4/64 Napier 223-46 3,136,459 6/64 Mashburn 22346 JORDANFRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.3,194,459 July 13, 1965 William W. Knox It is hereby certified thaterror appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and thatthe said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 1, line 9, for "arrang-" read arranging column 2, line 15, for"embodiments" read embodiment column 6, line 1, after "annular" insertwork line 2, after "said" insert annular line 9, before "work" insertannular line 14, for "spindle members are" read sleeve member is samecolumn 6, line 15, for "spindle" read sleeve Signed and sealed this 26thday of April 1966.

FEAL) ttest:

RNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER ttesting Officer Commissioner ofPatents

1. IN A BLOW MAKING DEVICE, THE COMBINATION OF A TOOL AND A DECORATIVERIBBON MATERIAL COOPERATING TO FORM LOOPS OF A BOW FORMATION, SAID TOOLCOMPRISING A ROTATABLE WORK SURFACE, FASTENER MEANS THEREON FOR HOLDINGA FREE END OF SAID RIBBON MATERIAL, MEANS FOR ROTATABLY MOUNTING THEWRORK SURFACE, AND MEANS FOR CAUSING ROTATION THEREOF WHICH MEANSINCLUDES THE STANDING POORTION OF THE RIBBON MATERIAL, A MEASURED LENGTHOF SAID PORTION BEING SUFFICIENTLY STIFF TO EXERT A TORSIONAL FORCE ONTHE WORK SURFACE IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING A LOOP THEREIN WHEREBYSUCCESSIVE LOOPS OF THE BOW FORMATION ARE FORMED OUT OF SAID RIBBONMATERIAL BY REPEATEDLY ENGAGING MEASURED LENGTHS THEREOF WITH THEFASTENER MEANS.